


Unbalanced

by wthamidoing



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, angsty sex that leads to feelings discussions that leads to happy sex, moderately heavy drinking, this is because i want to write about korra dealing with her feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:01:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26787892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wthamidoing/pseuds/wthamidoing
Summary: After learning of her disappearance from the Southern Water Tribe six months ago, Asami runs into Korra by chance at an underground earth bending ring just outside of Republic City. The events of season four proceed a little differently from there.
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato
Comments: 10
Kudos: 109





	Unbalanced

**Author's Note:**

> this is mainly because i think Asami would have been really confused and a little angry with Korra for disappearing. And I want Korra to deal with her feelings but it's gonna take a while to get there.
> 
> plus they're in their early twenties and probably horny. They'd be fuckin'

For the first time in a while Asami didn’t feel like she was holding up the entire weight of the world alone. Mako’s shoulder brushed hers as they stood behind Tenzin. It was already dark at this point, but the world still managed to look brighter to her. Korra was coming back. Korra was coming back _today._

Actually she should be there in minutes. Asami’s stomach twisted in knots as she watched the Southern Water Tribe ship rock up next to the dock. A million thoughts raced through her head, faster than a water whip, about just what she should say when she saw those leather slippers land on the dock. Even in her letters she hadn’t really known what to say, and if she was being honest, with Korra’s face in front of her again, she didn’t know if she’d even be able to speak. It didn’t feel real.

“Hey,” Mako whispered, ducking his head so the adults in front of them couldn’t hear them talk. _I’m an adult now_ , Asami had to remind herself as if her meetings with Raiko and the countless spreadsheets she worked to keep Future Industries afloat weren’t enough of a reminder. _Korra’s an adult now._ Even Mako next to her was older and wiser, _although probably already as wise as he was gonna ge_ t, she mused. They had all changed so much.

Mako spoke again. “Asami-” She blinked. “Are you okay?”

She cleared her throat. “Just excited, I think.” She reminded herself that fantasizing about Mako’s ex girlfriend while she was standing right next to him was probably not the adult thing to do. Even if she was also his ex girlfriend. Her stomach rolled with regret.

The dock shook any remaining thoughts out of her head though as the ship made port. Naga, of course, was the first out of the ship, bounding straight through the group, scattering them as Lin and Tenzin each dove in opposite directions. She landed next to Asami, sniffing around her head before nudging her in the cheek with her nose. 

“ _Hey,_ ” Asami whispered, straining to hear over Naga’s thumping tail.

Tonraq and Tenzin greeted each other warmly, but Asami couldn’t bring herself to pay attention. Tonraq wasn’t the reason she was buzzing with excitement. She leaned around Naga, straining to see around them into the open mouth of the ship.

The light from the ship’s oil lamps flickered softly, but no shadows passed through them. No figures stepped out. Finally words reached her ears again.

“Korra left the south pole six months ago.” Tonraq’s deep voice reverberated over the water, the echo amplified by the confused faces in front of him. “She’s written me letters.” His confused expression matched the rest of theirs. “She said she’s here in Republic City.”

Asami’s breathing grew still.

“I assure you, your daughters not here.” Tenzin confirmed for Tonraq. 

The buzzing of Asami’s excitement had turned cold and relocated to her ears. She felt numb as she backed away from the group. She could barely hear Mako as he called after her, but her lead feet only drove her further and further from the ship that was supposed to have Korra on it. 

Just another empty vessel. Like a 23 year old CEO who had no idea what she was doing.

Or a letter with barely two lines written in it. 

She didn’t have to look up from the ground once to find herself in a seedy bar on the outskirts of town. She slipped in without turning a single head, made her way to the bar and slid into a stool that was well worn to the curve of her back. The bartender barely looked up before sliding her a stone pint with something strong sloshing inside of it.

She’d become somewhat of a regular here.

Slowly she sipped her drink, letting the warmth slide down her numb throat, her nose no longer turning up at the taste. She sipped it again. And then she kept doing that until that distinct hazy feeling had settled in her stomach, dulling the roar in her head to a faint mumble. Only then did she let herself think.

She let herself think about how three years ago she had felt unstoppable. She was part of team avatar, she was doing something to change the world. She had friends who cared about her. She let herself think about the long nights where she finally figured out why it hurt so much when she watched Korra kiss Mako when she had never felt more than a flicker of interest in him. She let herself think about the words she almost let slip several times to the beautiful girl who could bend all four elements without breaking a sweat. To the girl who was a pro bender and a damn good one while saving the world on the side. To the girl who was so funny and so stubborn and so brave. 

And then she let herself think about how those words never made it out, and then Korra was beaten, and bruised, and gone. And how for three years after she wrote letter after letter that said ‘I miss you’ instead of ‘i love you.’ And how she got one brief response and an empty ship in return. And all those touches, and smiles, and inside jokes must not have meant as much as she thought they did. 

She drained the rest of the cup, ignoring the burning as it went down. She hated that she had been left alone, but she hated even more that she seemed to be the only one hurt by it. 

Mako had a fancy job and before today had been too busy to talk to her for almost a year. Bolin was off creating an empire with some of the best strategists in the world, and with a girlfriend of his own now, his letters were even less frequent than Korra’s. And she was proud of them, she knew but she was also… struggling. 

Every meeting with Raiko reminded her of how much she couldn’t stand men in power. Every late night over a spreadsheet reminded her that she hadn’t touched a wrench in months. That she pushed numbers around all day instead of inventing. Even her one hobby had turned into a chore. On paper she might be successful, but in reality she was miserable. 

And even that made her mad. How could she feel even a little bit sorry for herself when her best friend had needed to take a three year hiatus from the trauma of being an avatar. If she thought her burden was hard to carry, she reminded herself, Korra’s was ten times worse.

Asami had just thought that when Korra was done healing, she would want to come back.

Her next sip was interrupted by a man who had just sat down to her left. He spoke without looking at her. 

“Are you the fortune bender?”

She swallowed her laugh. She guessed she had to rescind her earlier statement that inventing was her only hobby. Being alone was difficult for Asami. And being raised by Hiroshi meant that she was quite comfortable being surrounded by seedy people. In fact she almost found it comforting. Another side effect of her upbringing under a ruthless businessman is that she was really good at gambling. That’s all business was, after all.

Therefore, she’d made quite a name for herself in the local underground bending rings, even if it was a stupid name. She’d watched enough pro bending in her day to be able to tell with almost exact certainty who was going to win. 

“Yeah that’s me.”

The Earth Empire native turned to look at her. “People haven’t seen you around in a while. They’re starting to think maybe you’ve lost your touch.”

Asami snorted. It was funny to think he thought she would rise to such obvious bait. 

“There’s a ring tonight. About three buildings west of here.” He slammed his empty drink down on the bar, before slipping off his stool and disappearing out to the street. Asami didn’t watch him leave. 

She knew he probably had a couple matches rigged and was trying to boost his reputation by winning a few ingots off of her. But she also knew that the alcohol was already coursing through her veins, telling her that if she wanted to forget Korra even for a few hours, this was her best chance. 

Cursing, she stumbled off her stool and followed the man into the night.

She arrived quickly, the commotion in the basement tangible through the floor of the seemingly closed cafe. Asami slipped off her Future Industries jacket, leaving it in a booth to pick up later. The nondescript tunic she was wearing underneath would lend to her anonymity.

The crowd was pulsing with excitement when she reached the bottom of the stairs. She pushed through, timing her movements with the beats of the crowd, until she was close enough to hear the fights happening in the ring below. People had already started to take note of her, familiar faces and familiar wallets she had taken winnings from. She knew she should perhaps feel a little bad at taking money from these men who were well below her means, even if they were sleazy as hell. But she didn’t keep any of her winnings, funnelling it all as donations into Mako’s program for street youths. She was probably funding room and board for some of their kids.

She flipped her hair off her shoulder and took her usual spot. Near enough to the ring where she could hear what was happening, but not close enough that she could see any of the gory details. She placed her bets quickly and accurately, taking the first three rounds of the night. The angry faces of the sea of men around her reminding her why she did this. To remind herself that she could still do _something_ well _._

Asami could feel the alcohol start to make her lids heavy, and was considering leaving for the night, her ego sufficiently bolstered and her troubles mostly forgotten, when the announcer announced a newcomer in the ring. She sat herself back down. 

Newcomers were always a challenge. They had about a fifty-fifty win rate and she had to really listen to put together their fighting style. Listening was easier than watching for her. There were always more audio clues than visual as far as which way the fight would lean. 

She heard the girl step into the ring, her opponent immediately knocking her down. The heavy grunt she made in response sounded tired. Too tired for the beginning of a fight. Asami turned, expecting that one hit to be the end of it. The dust clouded most of her vision, earthbender fights always the hardest to see, but sure enough the newcomer picked herself off the ground. Her posture was tired, but you could tell she was comfortable in it. Asami cocked an eyebrow. She wasn’t always confident in an underdog, but she had a feeling about this one. A really familiar feeling. She squinted, trying to get a better look, but the blows they were throwing only kicked up more dust.

She placed her bet on the newcomer to win.

“I guess you are losing your touch then.” The man from the bar scoffed at the money she had set down. 

But the alcohol, even wearing off as it was, had made Asami cocky and she laughed in his face. It was a delicate sound, different from the rest of the din in the small room, and it rang out clear across the crowd. 

It was followed by a solid thud. Head turned to see the newcomer thrown clear across the ring. She went down and stayed down, Asami held her breath, for one… two… three. The announcer called the victory.

“Looks like your newcomer choked.” The man grimaced at her. 

Luckily the alcohol still working through her veins numbed even the sting of defeat. She paid out their winnings, the ring emptying out slowly. The long night already felt like a blur. She could hear the noise of a few benders nursing their injuries behind her, but the dusty room was essentially empty. The thick dirt walls absorbed some of the noise making it quiet enough for her to think again. 

_That’s dangerous,_ Asami thought to herself, standing up to leave when a voice rang out behind her.

“Hey, you look like that avatar girl.” It was the announcer, not talking to her but one of the athletes. Even the word avatar made her eyes sting. But the response stung even worse.

“Yeah I get that a lot.”

Asami’s blood froze. There was a split second of disbelief before she whipped her head around so fast a hair pin dislodged itself from her part and went flying across the room. Her eyes locked on to two blue ones, one purpled from the fight.

_Korra._

While Asami was a cat deer in headlights, Korra’s panic was more flight than fight. Before Asami could say anything she had tucked her head and bolted out the side door of the building. 

The announcer, clueless to what was unfolding in front of him, kept talking. “Hey I wonder what happened to her.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Asami dismissed him as she rushed by, praying Korra was just on the other side of the door and not half way to air temple island by now. 

The alley was dark when she burst into it but it wasn’t empty. 

“Korra?” Asami said as soon as she stepped through the doors, her grief painfully obvious in just that one word.

“Asami I-”

“What the fuck?”

Korra backed up, wide eyed at Asami’s outburst. Asami let out a jaded laugh. Out of all the words she’d plan to say to Korra when she saw her again, those hadn’t come up.

“Why the fuck weren’t you on that ship?”

“I didn’t-”

“It’s been three fucking years. Your family thinks you’re missing! What if you had gotten hurt?” Asami had stepped forward, inching into Korra’s space, feeling every feeling she had repressed for three years all at once. Scared for Korra’s injuries. Angry at her for leaving. Relieved she wasn’t dead. Confused as to why she was _here_ of all places.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t-”

“Couldn’t what? Have let me known you’ve been one village over for the past six months!?” Asami’s voice rose as she took the last stride to close the gap between them. Her face hovered over Korra’s, the shorter girl’s bruised face staring up at her in shock. 

For a second it looked like Korra was about to cry and Asami’s eyebrows knit together in worry. But then Korra’s eyes were closing and she was reaching out and leaning forward and-

Asami’s breath hitched in her throat as Korra’s lips hit hers. It was rough and misaligned at first, and Asami could taste Korra’s split lip through her shock. Korra didn’t let up though, only pressed her mouth more firmly against Asami’s, pushing her backwards until they were against the outer wall of the building.

Asami felt her back hit the wall, muscles tensing as the liquor worked to numb the bruise she would surely feel tomorrow. Her brain was still working to catch up as Korra used her own momentum to tilt Asami’s head down just a little bit further, deepening their kiss enough to get her tongue in. Her arm held Asami trapped against the wall. Asami, eyes still open in shock, could see her bicep ripple as Korra shifted again, angling them tighter together, their bodies fitting like pai sho pieces into their spots on the board. 

Korra licked along the inside of her mouth and by this point Asami’s mind had stopped trying to figure out what was going on. She could almost feel the engineer portion shut completely off as a primal part of her that she tried to pretend she didn’t own took over. She let Korra bite her bottom lip as she tangled her hands in Korra’s hair. There was less of it, yes, but still enough to grab on to, so grab she did. She tightened her fist around a handful at the base of Korra’s skull, tilting the avatar’s head back. Korra let out a gasp, the muscles in her neck tensing, but Asami kept pulling. Her knees went weak at the sight of the other girl’s face, red and vulnerable and open, so weak that she was thankful for her back against the wall and Korra’s knee between her thighs holding her up. 

Korra’s tilted head had revealed her throat, long and a little beaten from her fight, moonlight dancing in and out of it’s crevices. Asami ghosted a finger across a darkening bruise, causing Korra to shiver. She had to bite her lip as the shiver went through Korra’s leg, ending in a vibration that hit her right in the dampness pooling between her own thighs. The moan she let out did not go unnoticed.

Something darkened behind Korra’s eyes. She lifted up a hand to cup the side of Asami’s face, just for the briefest second, before that hand moved further south, finding other places of Asami’s body to cup and hold. Korra ducked her head to fit under Asami’s chin, her mouth working the sensitive skin at the base of her neck. Asami’s eyes flew wide, the back of her head landing against the stone wall with a thunk.

Her body and mind were a mix of confusing signals as Korra sucked on her neck, teeth grazing the bruise she was working on. Asami felt herself jolt forward, a hand smacking Korra’s shoulder to stop herself from tipping over. A chill went down her spine as Korra began unbuttoning the top few buttons of her tunic and sucking the sensitive skin along the top of her breast. Korra’s hand glanced her hip and the ever growing heat in pants got even more urgent. 

“Shit-” Asami gasped, her hips jumping forward of their own accord. She could feel Korra smile against the bare skin of her chest. Seconds later, the hand that had been firmly supporting the small of her back, inching ever lower, was untying the drawstring of her pants. That same hand slid under her hem, Korra’s thumb brushing over her clit. Asami’s whole body jolted forward, her head hitting the side of Korra’s, making the other girl grunt. Asami sunk her teeth into Korra’s bare shoulder as the other girl worked her thumb harder. 

“Fuck-” Asami gasped in between pants, her breath coming shallower. She shifted one of her legs wider, opening her stance, and Korra’s hand slid further under her, fingers slipping in the slick mess. Asami’s underwear kept the heel of Korra’s hand pressed firmly against her clit. Asami let out a hitched pant.

For just a second, Korra looked up at her, locking their eyes. A breeze that came from nowhere lifted some fallen strands of hair off Asami’s forehead. Korra’s expression was unreadable, just then, somewhere between grief and fear. But then the breeze let up and she smiled, sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. Without saying a word she slid two fingers inside, curling them as she ground the heel of her hand up until all the breath in Asami’s lungs had escaped.

She stood there, one leg wrapped around Korra’s hips, the other shaking, as she braced herself against the wall with her arms, her hands no longer focused enough to tangle them in Korra’s hair. Korra found a fast rhythm coinciding with Asami’s open mouthed panting. She could feel drool pooling in the corner of her mouth, but as Korra picked up her speed, she just couldn’t bring herself to care. 

There was an urgency pooling in the bottom of her stomach that was becoming hard to ignore. She tilted her hips up, every part of her screaming that she needed to be as close to Korra as possible, hip to hip, mouth to mouth, Korra’s hands joining them in a convoluted sort of harmonic convergence until they were one and the same. Asami yanked Korra’s head up to pull her into a hasty kiss, Korra halting her rhythm just a second before she found it again. 

The kiss was more teeth than tongue at that point, and Asami stifled an almost scream by biting Korra’s lip instead of her own. When she drew back she could taste blood. 

Her standing leg was noticeably shaking now as the feeling bubbling up inside of her grew to the point of almost pain. Korra broke their kiss to pin Asami’s arm against the wall, holding her up by the wrist as her leg began to give out. 

Asami felt white hot, as if electricity was coursing through her veins. She had forgotten where she was, who she was.

She squeezed her eyes shut, the almost-pain shutting off her breathing, her heart rate, her brain. 

The heat was searing now, as if her pants would singe. _Is this firebending,_ she thought weakly, letting her muscles relax as she stopped fighting the building tension. 

It kept building until Asami thought she might die from it. Until she couldn’t feel anything, not Korra’s hand around her wrist, not Korra’s mouth on her neck, not Korra’s hair brushing her chin, just those two fingers in a place she had dreamt of them being for three. Fucking. Years. 

And then the dam was bursting. The heat condensed to a single point within her before exploding outward, radiating through each limb with a white hot heat. With a strangled cry, Asami shot one arm down and wrapped a hand around Korra’s wrist, holding her in for every last shuddering second. Another cry tumbled out of her mouth as she leaned forward with the aftershock. Her sweaty forehead landed on Korra’s shoulder as her pulse reverberated through every cell of her body. She watched a drop of her own sweat fall off her chin and hit the dust. 

One last wave passed through her body. She imagined it like a ripple in the tiny drop of sweat on the ground below her. Spreading out and out until it was gone, and only the drop knew it had been there.

Above her, Korra had gone perfectly still. Asami regulated her breathing, before leaning back up against the wall, both thrilled and terrified by what she might see in Korra’s face. But Korra’s expression was so neutral it almost looked practised.

Korra’s eyes were blank as she slipped her hands out of Asami’s underwear. She let go of Asami’s wrist, and stepped back, the darkness taking over the job of obscuring the readability of her features. Asami started to speak, her throat raw, but Korra turned and was out of the alley in seconds. Asami stumbled forward out of the alley after her on weakened legs, but in the few seconds it had taken her to get to the opening of the street, Korra had disappeared.

Despite the cold that blanketed the moonlit Earth Empire village, hot shame spread across Asami’s reddened cheeks. She ran a hand up under her sweaty hair. As much as she tried to ignore it, in the silence of the night she could almost hear an audible crack as her heart crumbled along the same fault lines it had three years ago.

“What the fuck just happened?”

**Author's Note:**

> there will be more to this but i’m a slow writer


End file.
